Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND
Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO.
The SEND children attending our school are aged 2-11 years so consulting with them to seek their views about how we are meeting their needs has to be age appropriate, especially when many often have communication difficulties.
We use the following strategies:
- Have regular meetings and discussions with parents about what we have planned for their child and how to link this with interests and passions demonstrated at home.
- Where appropriate we consult directly with children in an age appropriate manner (usually Key Stage 2 children if appropriate).
- Make close observations during school to identify the types of activities and experiences that most engage each child so these can be developed further and be used inform future planning.
- Involve SEND children with planning their own activities and encouraging them to share what they would like to learn and participate with including asking children about their strengths and aspirations evident on their support plans/short notes.
- Consult with children with an EHC plan to ensure their voice is heard through mystory/ through pupil voice about strengths & areas of difficulties, what they like/dislike about school, what they are good at/need to work on, what their aspirations are for now/future.
- Monitoring between SENCO and SEN pupils for pupil voice to be heard in conjunction with support and provision they access.
- Extend any resources that they show a preference for.
- Most importantly, ensure the children with SEND are happy, motivated and make expected levels of progress throughout their time in school.
- Focus on a child-centred approach.
- Hold discussions as part of the school’s monitoring schedule focused on different aspects of school e.g. support children feel that they receive, behaviour in school, the curriculum, the environment, any interventions they access etc.
Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND
We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support. Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.
There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:
- Termly parents/ carers evenings;
- Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;
- An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
- Through regular reviews of their child’s Short Date/SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.
Support for Parents/carers
- Parents/carers can also seek further support from ‘Making Changes Together in County Durham’
- Support from the Local Offer
- Support from SENDIASS
